


The Golden Door

by Xander_The_Undead



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Hannibal Lecter Loves Will Graham, M/M, Memories, Memory Palace, Will Graham Loves Hannibal Lecter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:47:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27198022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xander_The_Undead/pseuds/Xander_The_Undead
Summary: The large gold door hadn't been opened in decades. Memories too painful to look back. But, with help, Hannibal thinks he is strong enough to try.
Relationships: Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Comments: 7
Kudos: 27





	The Golden Door

**Author's Note:**

> This is for the lovely [ Nis](https://twitter.com/ironandsilver_) who has had a rough week! I hope you feel better, love!
> 
> As always, a huge huge thank you to the amazing [Dontbevain](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dontbevain) for betaing!

[ ](https://imgur.com/LKJI0ih)

It did not happen often.

Almost never, now that years had passed, and the burning rage and need for revenge had been sated; did he stop at the large golden doors that had grown dull from disuse. They were still so beautiful, with intricate flowers and leaves that were molded from rose gold to stand out against the warmth of the yellow gold. The casing stood out through the thick, iron chains that Hannibal had put up on the door to keep it further locked away so he could become detached and be the cold killer under the mask of a man instead of what he used to be.

Hannibal rarely walked past the door, not wanting to even look at it as he roamed the halls of his memory palace. He preferred soft faded memories, something he could think of fondly without compromising his emotions…

Then he met Will Graham.

The man who turned his whole world upside down and inside out, and for the first time, Hannibal felt emotion welling up to the point where he could barely breathe because he was so full of it. It scared him, terrified him at first, as another door started to grow, starting as thin sprouts that grew and grew into a magnificent doorway. Woven branches with deep green leaves sprouting all over, but among the leaves were vicious thorns, and Hannibal only thought it right because it wouldn’t be Will’s doors without the threat of pain. 

It grew and grew, becoming so beautiful that it even rivaled the golden door with chains.

Then with a knife in the gut, Hannibal tore down that beautiful door with an axe until it was nothing more than two stumps and a broken wooden opening. 

Life continued to move on; Italy was where the door and stumps start to decay, an old rot that needed to be removed, and Verger Farm is where small little saplings began to grow through the rotted stumps. They started to wither when Will told him to go away and that he never wanted to see him again, but Hannibal wouldn’t let the tree die again. He made sure to keep it protected by ensuring Will knew where he was even though his heart was beaten. Will came to him like Hannibal knew he always would because Will said they were conjoined, and the tree continued to grow back. When they had slayed the dragon and fell off the cliff, Will’s door flourished, rising higher than it had before, and amongst the green leaves, bright red flowers bloomed. It was truly a masterpiece and only fitting that it belonged to his dear Will. He would never try to get rid of the door again because destroying it would destroy him.

But the golden one, dull with time and neglect, as he stood in front of it, he was still not sure if he wanted to go in or not. He no longer had to be a monster hiding beneath a person suit. He had someone there with him, someone to hold him and love him no matter what he did or where he went. Hannibal took a deep breath as he touched the large lock on the chains, the metal cold beneath his fingers, but he hesitated. He had locked away any feelings towards his memories before Baltimore, all memories of his aunt, his uncle, his mother, his father, of his home of his childhood and especially of her.

Mischa.

The small girl with the bright eyes and the sun-colored hair, who had been such an innocent thing before she was taken and treated so cruelly, the life snuffed from her body by the despicable monster whose body was transformed by broken glass and snails, hanging in the bones of a home where he could not return. He can still remember the small teeth in the bottom of his bowl after they had fed her to him, and that memory haunted him still to this day. He was scared, so petrified to look back and see that cherubic face smiling back at him. He feared the sight of her chubby little hands clinging to his as they walked through the fields of their home, reaching for him to clean when they dirtied from playing in the grass. 

It hurt too much and when Hannibal started to pull away from the chains in the door he felt a hand slip into his. He felt the hand give a tight reassuring squeeze and he didn’t even question how Will had gotten into his memory palace because they were one now, in body and mind. He had his family present to help him go through the memories of the family he had lost and that gave him enough courage to reach out and unlock the chains. They fell heavily to the floor and faded quickly away, and he felt Will lean in close, his breath against Hannibal‘s ear as he whispered, “You can do this.”

Hannibal took a calming breath before pulling out another large key for the door, slipping it into the keyhole and turning it roughly. The lock clipped the door for the first time in many, many years, creaking open just a crack and beyond that, he could see the shining light that used to be his whole world. He felt like he could do anything when she smiled at him and he felt so tall when she would run after him, trying to imitate his every move. He was surprised that when he looked in on these memories they didn’t hurt him or attack him like he thought they would, instead he felt warmth trailing from his heart throughout his body as if just the sight of her face, had love moving through the blood of his veins.

He spent hours in that room remembering and re-familiarizing himself with everything that had been his little sister, his beloved Mischa. When he finally left the room a long time later, he was exhausted but felt lighter than he had since everything that happened. When he came back to himself, he was still on the couch but this time instead of just holding his hand, Will had wrapped himself around Hannibal, leaning back on the couch so that Hannibal’s head rested on his chest and his fingers ran through the straight silver strands of his hair. Will was humming softly, a tune that Hannibal was almost positive he had made up right on the spot and he let the vibrations of Will’s chest soothe him, bringing him back to reality.

When Will realized that Hannibal was back, he reached down to touch Hannibal’s face, smiling when Hannibal lifted his head and leaned into the touch. Will made a questioning sound, soft in the back of his throat and ran the back of his knuckles against Hannibal’s cheek. 

“Are you alright?” He asked gently and Hannibal felt his heart ache for the man he loved so much. “Do you need anything?”

Hannibal only gave a small shake of his head before laying his head back on Will’s chest with a content sigh. “No, my love. I need nothing but you, your love and my memories.”

He could hear Will’s smile in his voice and his fingers moved back into Hannibal’s hair to scratch his scalp.

“You have my love, for always and forever.” He murmured. “You are cherished, so dearly loved and safe. Always safe in my arms.”

Hannibal fell asleep like that, safe and loved.


End file.
